Saturday, 14 September 2013

Understanding Film Making

The Idea

Wherever an idea comes from, like from a real life event, a re-make of a film, an original idea or and adaptation, it has to go though with the director and producer so they can get a rough script of what will happen and they will know how to plan out the movie properly. A writer defines the plot and writes a description of the main story and characters which is then to financiers in order to commission a script. In the 1998 film 'Saving Private Ryan' it came from a real life event about eight men going out to same a private to take him home because his brothers were KIA. After the success of this from the director Steven Spielberg made many more fiction and non-fiction films.

Development Finance

Pitching the film:The producer uses the pitch and the treatment to try and get the film full backing the producer will use lots of persuasion and it doesn't all ways work.

The production company:This is where the producer desperately tries to persuade the company for finance, if the producer can persuade that he film can make profits, then the company are far more than interested to invest.

Sales distribution broadcast:This is where the film sells of its rights like the sales, this is where they provide money for sales and owning a percentage of the film takings, the broadcaster is where the film will be shown on TV after its cinema craze this is a great thing for the producer to have . and the distribution, this is where the distribution company will sell the rights to cinemas and screen shows.

Public investment:This is where the film can take it to the national council to try and receive grants from the government , they do this to produce more talent.

Private finance:A producer can go to private customers and request finance, this may be in return for product placement or similar ideas.

Tying down the writer:Once the producer has collected all their public and private funding they can then get the development deal and seek a writer first they would have to go through the agent before getting the writer a deal, the writer will get set fee's throughout the film.

Script Development

First the writer and the director produce a synopsis and both decide on the key scenes and events of the films and when they will come into play. After that they create a rough outline of the script by using drawings and start mapping out the whole of the film and decide then things happen. Then, the hardest part comes in when the first draft of the script is written. Once the director and writer are happy with the draft it is then sent off to financers whom will all have their own ideas. Once everyone is happy with the draft it is locked and becomes a final draft. Then in which the writer gets paid by the financers. The final stage is the creation of a sales treatment which is a synopsis designed to sell the film to potential financers.

Packaging

The producer and director must now package the script into a proposition in reading for budgets and financing. The most popular way to make the project more commercialised is to include well-known actors to film. Successful heads of departments carry out deals with financiers. The film must then be broken down appropriately for a business proposition; the producers will want to know the cost of how much the film is. Investors will want to know how the producer plans to raise the money this will then allow her to plan how to pay them back. The producer ‘packaged’ the film into a visible proposition; they will now need to find out the views of other people.

Financing

Marketing is the hardest part of film making process; attracting the investment to make the film. The producer is up against a huge number of other producers, some with similar packages to theirs.Then it needs to go into investment, are 3 main sources of investment: Private finance, Co-productions and Public investment. Also theproducer can also raise money from ‘pre-sales’, selling the rights to the film before it has even been made. Banks and Gap funding are parts of banks that specialise in film finance, they invest in commercial projects and also offer loans. Most financiers insist that a completion bond is in place before they agree to invest. This is insurance for the production. Finally, once the essential funding and insurance is secured, the film gets the ‘green light’.

Pre-Production

Once all the heads of departments are hired, the shooting script is sent round and pre-production begins in a serious manner, the casting director with the director and producer identifies and casting the actors. Storyboards are created, they show where every shot of the film is planned in advance with the director. The production designer plans all aspects of how the film will be set, people then are hired to create each part, effects shots are planned months before normal shots because the time it can take to create them. The first AD. The line producer and production manager make up the key logistic triangle of production.

The Shoot

Shooting begins and the camera department is responsible for getting all of the footage needed to tell the story once the lighting has been set up and the hair and makeup have been checked. The actors must create and emotional world and draw the audience into it by acting alongside each other and the special physical effects.

Post Production

When the filmed footage comes in, the Editor assembles it into scenes and creates a narrative sequence for the film. The sound department then adds background tracks and edits every sound. Digital effects are then added and titles and credits are added in a composing suite. The film is then tweaked so the colour and aesthetics of the film are right. The dubbing theatre then set the final sound levels and the final cut is finished.

Sales

Directors and producers have to go to large extents to try and increase sales and market off the film. A trailer normally helps by showing off the film and attracts people in to watch the film.

Marketing

There are many ways films are marketed off to the public to try and get higher audiences. Adverts, posters, trailers and many more are put all around and shown as much as possible to try and get audience so the film can earn more money.

Exhibition﻿

The premier, this is where a star studded group of journalists and actors, this is key for getting the film out into the public's eyes, with over 3000 screens in the UK. Its key making sure that the film is shown on as many screens as possible, then the exhibitors, revenues, the revenue is then taken from the gorse and then the distributors and everyone else starts to take their cuts from the film, once the distributors have been paid, the financiers can recover their investments, as laid out in the recoupment schedule, then after all expenses are paid , most profits end up coming from DVD sales.

Other Windows

Hospitality sales can bring millions of additional revenue. More people spend money on DVD’s than on cinema tickets, television is additional revenue rights are sold separately for pay- TV. Rights to computer games and other product licences can be another source of revenue. Once the film has made a profit people can be rewarded. The final stage is never known distribution continues in perpetuity and could be re-realised.